


See With Your Heart

by nbfcknsht



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Ashton the main focus, Blind Character, Blind main character, Luke is a pessimest, M/M, Multi, and a ray of sunshine, ashton is blind, basically just brings his dog back when she leave the house, blind, blind!ashton, calum and the dog, calum is ashton jimminey cricket, even though he doesn't really seem like it, he's an optimist i swear, his number 1 skill is complaining, michael is long suffering, she's a blue aussie shepherd, sydney festival, sydney festival 2018, the dog's name is Erene, they have a love hate relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-25
Updated: 2018-10-25
Packaged: 2019-08-07 13:33:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16409405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nbfcknsht/pseuds/nbfcknsht
Summary: Calum likes to joke and say that when Ashton was younger, he looked in the mirror and the reflection of him being a physical ray of sunshine is what made him go blind. Though that would have been a bittersweet notion, in reality, Ashton had been born blind and Calum was his best friend growing up.Luke is a born pessimist, never being able to see that grand silver lining. Not like it's particularly that grand anyway. What is one person's silver lining, is someone else's rain cloud. That's just how he sees the world. The only exception is his best friend Michael, who can somehow get Luke to see something happy once in a while.The events that lead up to an unconventional love, showing that while two people can be so different, similar circumstances can lead then to all the right places.





	1. Chapter 1

"You can't see with your eyes."

"Then what am I supposed to see with?"

"Your _heart_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yo! i don't know if anyone remembers wattpad! but this was one of my stories from back in the day on there (i'm perfectlittlesocio) and i'm working on a rewrite and hoping that i can continue to write and eventually finish it. I'll be updating on both platforms (incase one day, historians find it - then everything up to date.)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a little intro and a little now

Calum likes to joke and say that when Ashton was younger, he looked in the mirror and the reflection of him being a physical ray of sunshine is what made him go blind. Though that would have been a bittersweet notion, in reality, Ashton had been born blind and Calum was his best friend growing up.

When Ashton was four, he had a lot of trouble making friends. When all the other kids were playing on the playground, he merely sat back on a bench for the time. Though being blind, he could navigate just fine through his own home and the classroom, but it was the playground that proved the most difficult. On a particularly cold day, Ashton sat on his bench, slightly upset hearing the other kids laugh and play with their friends. Through the laughter, he heard the crunching of small feet through the wood chips, making their way towards him. He straightened up a bit before turning in that general direction.

"Hello?" He asked quietly to whoever was standing near him.

It was silent for a while before a small boy's voice met his. "Why are you sitting over here alone? You look sad."

Ashton took a small breath before answering the boy. "It's hard to play when you don't know where you're going."

The boy took notice to the thick black sunglasses around the sad boy's eyes, and smiled. "Well then take off your sunglasses silly." He noted, sitting on the bench next to him.

Ashton swallowed, sighing gently. "No it's not that. My mummy says my eyes don't work." He added quietly.

The other boy was quiet for a while. It was a moment of what could only be comfortable silence among the two preschoolers, before the other boy couldn't help but reach over and hug Ashton. He took a few seconds to register what was actually happening, before slowly giving the hug back.

The other boy just gave a small smile adding quietly, "Don't worry. I'm Calum and I'll be your eyes."

It's been fourteen years, and the two have remained friends ever since.

✗

"ASHTON!" A familiar voice made it's way to Ashton ears from the downstairs of his home.

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT?" He screamed back, lying flat on his bed, unmoving.

A door slammed shut, and footsteps began stomping up the stairs and across the threshold of his room.

"Are you missing a dog at all or did you just not want one?" Calum questioned, leaning against Ashton's desk.

As if on cue Erene; a blue aussie shepherd, jumped up onto Ashton's bed, settling into her regular place at the foot and laying down. "If she explores, she explores. She knows how to get home." Ashton sighed, rising himself to a sitting position and scratching a hand behind Erene's ears.

"I don't like having a dog running around my backyard Ashton. There's a reason I don't have a dog." Calum huffed, exasperated at his best friend's seemingly carelessness for this dog that was pretty detrimental to his well being. "What if one day she goes off to  _explore_ , doesn't come back, and you need her for something? Ever think about that?"

"She wouldn't. She's in sync with my needs. She's a good dog." Ashton stopped scratching behind the dog's ears and Erene muttered a whine but didn't move.

"I still don't want a dog running around my house."

"Not my problem."

Cal crossed his arms, an extremely unamused look settling in as a permanent resident on his face. "I want you to know I'm telling you to fuck off with my hand."

"Oh were you? I couldn't see it." Ashton cracked his own smirk, head tilting down.

A small silence ensued, before Calum broke it. The unamused look had shifted into discomfort. "Come on man. You know I don't like that."

"Sorry. I can't see your scowl." Ashton couldn't help it.

"Fuck you." Calum rolled his eyes, and settled into the desk chair, letting silence fill the room, a part from a light tapping of his foot, though he was sure Ashton could hear it.

Ashton could hear the tapping yes, but if there was anything he hated in this world it was silence and Cal knew that. When he finally had enough he shifted back against the headboard, took a deep breath, and with the smoothest voice he could muster broke the silence. "Erene. Attack."

Calum immediately stiffened in his chair as Ashton's seeing eye dog, in one bound, leapt off the bed and stood in front of the other boy, teeth barred and growling. "Ash, call her off." He looked frantically at his friend who sat calmly on the bed doing nothing. "Ashton! Call. Her. Off!"

Ashton still did nothing.

It was then that Erene bound for Vin, knocking the teen out of the desk chair and on to the ground. Who, she then proceeded to lick to death. At that point Ashton couldn't hold it in any longer and his own cackling filled the room.

Calum managed to push Erene off of him, sitting up. Unable to contain his own slight chuckle, he gave the dog a quick scratch behind the ear. "You're a dick. Like an A* dick. Why am I even friends with you?"

Ashton removed his glasses, wiping tears from his eyes, before slipping them back on. "Because you didn't know how to make friends in kindergarten and you settled for me?"

The other boy rolled his eyes again, convinced that being lifelong friends with Ashton would eventually cause them to roll out of his head. "Yeah I guess you're right."

There was a bark of attention from Erene, followed by the opening and closing of the front door downstairs.

Ashton turned his head to the direction the sound had come from, and called out. "Mum? Is that you?" He asked, but he already knew the answer.

"Nope! Sorry, your mum's gone!"

Ashton shook his head, swinging his feet over his bed and standing. He snapped his fingers and immediately Erene was at his side. Together they made their way downstairs, Calum following behind them.

"Har har, you're  _so_  funny. I'd like to think I know my own mother's voice." He settled into a barstool at the counter, Erene sitting on the floor next to him, and Calum falling in line at his other side.

"Damn you've caught me." A smile crept its way on to his mother's face as she continued putting groceries away.

"Sharp wit."

"Like a knife."

Vin, eyeing the grocery bags during this whole encounter, started to reach over for a ginger beer when Ashton's mother smacked his hand, instead handing him one, and sliding another against Ash's arm. "Afternoon Cal."

"Afternoon Annie." He offered her a smile, raising the glass bottle to her and taking a sip, before starting a spin on the stool.

In the  _comfortable_ silence that followed as Annie continued organizing the groceries, and Calum continued spinning (kicking Ash's ankles with every complete turn), Ashton removed his glasses. He often got tired of wearing them so constantly, and in return his eyes were also tired from the lack of light. It was after that one simple action, Ashton felt an entire change in the room. Calum was still stupidly spinning so Ash knew it wasn't from him. What he did notice was that he didn't hear the rustling of grocery bags anymore.

"Mum? Alright?" He raised an eyebrow, looking towards the direction her voice had been coming from. Erene noticed Ashton's change as well and perked up, but he waved her off, smoothing her ears back.

Annie swallowed and cleared her throat before trying to speak. "Erm, your glasses Ash." She trailed off, her eyes moving to Vin, who had also noticed the change of room and adjusted his face accordingly and stopped spinning.

Taking another read of the weird attitude filling the air, Calum set his ginger beer down on the counter as well looking between Annie and his best friend. "If you're worried about his eyes..?" Calum stopped, unsure of how to finish his own statement

It was then, Ashton began laughing. It was just short of his cackle from earlier, but it still brought tears to his eyes. "Mum, Cal's been my best friend for  _fourteen_ years. He was bound to see my eyes at some point." He caught his breath and wiped his eyes again before putting his glasses on in a showy notion for his mother. "Just so happened that  _that point_  was about five years ago. Truly mum, in all that time, you didn't think he'd ever seen my  _eyes_?"

Annie's face flushed bright red. She'd always been worried about what people might think upon seeing her son's eyes. Having been born blind, his should-have-been hazel eyes, were instead a dull, cloudy grey. Her mind was constantly wrought with whatever people's prejudices might be, whether he would be ridiculed for them, what they would say, if they would say it to him, or whisper behind him thinking he couldn't hear. Regardless, here he sat, laughing at her nervousness with his best friend, who she should've guessed had seen them all along.

"I'll be damned." She said shaking her head, finishing up with the bags.

"Sharp wit." Ashton managed a small smile, taking a first sip of his own ginger beer.

"Like a knife." And Annie found herself smiling as well, watching her son relax, and watching his best friend resume his ridiculous spinning. Still kicking Aid's ankles as he went.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HERE WE GO LADS, LASSIES, & NON BINARY BADASSES!
> 
> I love my au ash & cal. they're great. but we all know the real gem of this tale... yes. erene. gorgeous.
> 
> anyhow, i'm literally posting all the work i have written at this point in one sitting. i am working on so much right now, so i want to get what i have out here.
> 
> cheers x


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the other side of things

"What the FUCK Michael?!" A blond crossed his arms in the threshold of his own friend's bedroom, watching him run around it frantically.

"Fucking deal with it!" Michael screamed back, not even turning to look at the other.

"I am NOT sitting in a car with you for two hours! It's not happening."

"It's like half an hour, you'll be fine." Mike scoffed, crouching under his bed looking for a shoe.

The blond smirked, seeing an opportunity and went for it, collapsing on the bed.

"OW! Okay what the ACTUAL FUCK LUKE? You could have killed me!" Michael managed to get out, face red but whether it was from near suffocation or anger, it was unclear.

"I'm not sitting in a car with you for two hours." Luke simply shrugged, staring up at the ceiling. A view that quickly ended, with a smack to the face from a rubber shoe. It was his turn for pain. "OW! What the hell was that for?"

Michael turned stern. "LOOK. I've got a date with my boyfriend tonight. He's taking his friend out too, so I'm bringing you along and you're going to  _fucking deal_! It's been decided already and you literally do not have a say in the matter! END OF DISCUSSION!"

Luke just stared back at him wide eyed before going blank faced again and turning back to the ceiling. The room went quiet, the only sounds now were mainly just Michael trying to put his shoes on and calm down.

"It's going to be a long two hours."

Half an hour later, Luke was still breathing, against both his and Michael's wishes. Mike's due to the fact that the entire ride had been filled with snide remarks, complaining, and various sounds of discontentment, and Luke's just because he both didn't want to be here and slightly enjoyed firing up Michael.

It was the last grumble that quite literally broke Michael's back. "CHRIST! Do you do  _anything_ other than complain?" Michael screamed, white knuckling the steering wheel.

Luke scoffed. " _Yes._ I sleep. I lay in my bed and watch Netflix. I hate the outside world. But wait! I can't do any of those other things because you KIDNAPPED me Scott!"

Michael took a deep breath.  _Luke is your friend. Luke is your friend. Do not kill Luke because he is your friend._ " _Luke_ , we are fifteen minutes from the exit. If I hear you complain ONE more time, I  _will_ cut off both of your arms and then your face." He released his breath. "I'll say this again. I have a date tonight. He's taking his friend out too. I've brought you along. You're hanging out with us and his friend and you will have a good goddamn time. Okay?"

Luke didn't answer him. Instead he looked out the window and sunk deeper into the seat. He might as write a book on defying the impossibles. Sulk deeper into this hoodie, piss off chill Michael before a date, sink deeper into this seat.

Still feeling a bit defiant, he grumbled out a question. "What's Calum's friend's name anyway?"

"His name is Ashton."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHAT'S THIS?! A BUDDING ROMANCE? POSSIBLY! AN UNLIKELY FRIENDSHIP? DEFINITELY! A SET UP FOR A HORRIBLE INTRODUCTION? DON'T YOU KNOW FUCKING KNOW IT! 
> 
> i get a lot of praise on my banter.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the other - other side of things.  
> it's the mirror verse.  
> (basically.)

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Too bad you're going."

"I'm not fucking going on your date with you."

"Yes you are. You don't have a choice here."

"I am still a human being and last time I checked I had free will."

"Not with this."

Ashton furrowed his brows and glared in the direction he knew Calum was standing. He'd come over like any other day, and Ashton thought it would be just that — any other day. Calum would put on Netflix, Hulu, insert your streaming service here, and he would listen, or in parts without dialogue, Cal'd explain what was going on. Or maybe they would have a rare day and actually venture out into public. Regardless, it was clear Calum had other plans. He'd come over, hung out normally for a while, and then insisted that they'd attend the carnival. With Calum's boyfriend. Michael.

It was this whole thing really. Mike (or Michael as he mostly went by) actually lived half an hour away but whenever there were big things going on that normal people would be interested in going to, one of them would travel to see the other, go to whichever event, and in turn stay a couple days. In this case, Michael was the one traveling.

"I'm not going on your date with you."

"You're going."

"It must be the end of days if human beings have lost their free will. Sound the alarm! The apocalypse is here."

"Michael's bringing his friend too!"

"Oh great so I'm not alone in this kidnapping. Fantastic."

"Ashton come on."

"Real rich taking a blind guy to a carnival too. Really. Top marks!"

"Ashton." Calum sighed, pursing his lips.

"There is literally nothing for me to do there, but walk around and smell horrible carnival smells."

"Ashton please."

Ash paused. He wasn't angry but he was confused. "Why?" When he didn't get a response, he amended. "Seriously. Why? You've never asked me to join you two before, especially not to a fucking carnival. So what's different?"

Calum took a deep breath and Ashton could almost  _feel_ his hesitation. "I may have already told him that I was going out with you?" It came out as more of a question and Ash just raised his eyebrows. He sighed. "I told him that you and I already had plans, but I still wanted to see him and wanted him to come so I told him to bring his friend."

Ashton didn't speak. Instead, he just ran his hand through Erene's coat where she rested against his knee. "What's Michael's friend's name anyway?"

"It's Luke."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof. writing that carnival confrontation hurt me. because he has such valid points. like honestly though. you're going to take a blind guy to a festival???
> 
> ONE MORE CHAPTER BEFORE CROSSING OVER! 
> 
> it breaks the alternating chain but it was necessary. let's get down to the nitty gritty.


	5. Chapter 5

 

 In Sydney the seasons are a little different. In most of the Northern Hemisphere the summer months are typically June, July, and August, while the winter months are typically November, December, and January. Sydney, New South Wales, Australia is in the Southern Hemisphere. The seasons are reversed. The summer months are December, January, and February and the winter months are June, July, and August. Festivals and Carnivals that happen in the Northern Hemisphere around June and July — typically their summer, the Sydney equivalent would happen in December or January.

That's why it's not crazy to see Ashton and Calum going to the beach with their families for Christmas or Calum and Michael visiting the Sydney Festival for a date week in the middle of January.

Ashton hates the Sydney Festival.

It's full of loud music, people screaming, children screaming, overlapping chatter and laughter. Now if you have sight — no problem. You can see everyone having fun, children running around having one of the best summer weeks of their lives, and musicians performing.

For Ashton, all it is is loud, layered, noise.

Even so, every year when the festival rolls around Calum always wants to attend and after days of complaints from Calum, he always cracks and they end up going out to the event for anywhere from one to a couple nights.

The Sydney Festival 2018 is no different.

Except it is different.

The Festival is here. Ashton doesn't want to go. Calum and Michael are planning for a date week during the course of the festival. This all seems the same, but only now Calum wants Ashton to tag along, not just the two of them like the past years. He wants Ashton to tag along, with his boyfriend and Michael's also kidnapped friend. Fantastic.

This was everything running through Ashton's mind during the drive downtown.

"Hey Ash, alright?" Calum attempted to make glances to his friend sitting in the front seat next to him, while also trying to keep his eyes on the road.

"Alright." Ash didn't move, leaving his head resting against the glass on the window.

"You sure?" The radio was off now. Whenever the two go would go pretty much anywhere, the radio's always on, and Ashton and Calum are always talking over it, just because Ashton hates the silence and Calum knows it. Now, there was clearly something wrong and Vin was trying to open up the air space.

"Yeah Cal. Really it's just..." Ashton trailed off. "It's just the whole festival thing mate. You know I hate it. I only go every year because you're my best friend and you want to." Calum couldn't help his uneasy silence. He knew it was true. "And we only ever go for one night or a couple nights but that's it and it's just you and me and I don't have to worry about the crowds or not knowing what going on and—"

Calum cut him off there. "Woah woah woah. Ash it's still only one night. It's still only tonight, I mean I was going to ask you to come out to this tonight anyway. We already had plans. Michael and Luke are just additions on. I'm sorry. We should've talked about this earlier really. You still don't have to worry about the crowds because I'm still going to be with you. Michael will just be there too."

Ashton just nodded and tried to put on a bit of a smile. "Okay. Yeah... okay." Instead of trying to take the conversation any further, Ash turned the the radio back on and Calum took it as a win.

After a bit longer of driving, the car finally stopped moving.

"We're here." Calum took a breath, waiting for Ashton to make the first move.

Ash could already hear the dull roar of the city surrounding them. "Where's Michael?"

"He told me they're waiting in Hyde Park."

Ashton adjusted his glasses and opened the car door. "Well, let's give it a go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are!
> 
> Sydney people! Feel free to correct me if I've gotten anything wildly wrong with the place and settings. I did hours of research to make sure everything was as accurate as I could make it, so if I got anything wrong - please let me know! x


	6. Chapter 6

 

"There's so many people."

"It's a festival."

"It's so loud here."

"It's a festival."

"This thing hurts my eyes."

"It's a festival Luke! Shut up."

Michael and Luke had managed to get to Sydney a little bit earlier than planned, even more so to Luke's discontentment but Michael kept it together. They made it to the city, managed to find parking, and ended up walking around the festival waiting for the other pair to show. The two ended up stopping in on an art installation full of intense neon colors, weird shapes, and optical illusions. Ike wouldn't stop squinting at it.

"What's this called anyway?" Luke, hood pulled over his head and hands shoved in his pockets, actually seemed interested in the whole piece despite how he might have looked and his earlier complaining.

"It says it's called  _Continuum._ I think it's supposed to mess with something to do wth perception?" Michael was flipping back and forth between his handout in his hand, and looking at the actual installation. All in all it was actually pretty interesting but he was preoccupied scanning the crowds for something else.

"It's weird and I don't know how I feel about it."

"It's art. I don't think you're supposed to know how you feel about it, but hey at least you're not complaining." Michael shoved his own hands in his trouser pockets, still searching the vast amounts of people walking around.

Luke scoffed, as if Michael being pleased at something of his doing was in of itself mildly offensive. "I can still complain about it."

"Please GOD! Do. Not." Michael felt his phone buzz in his pocket, rolling his eyes at the person he claimed to be his best friend. "Calum said they just got here and they're on their way over."

"I forgot I wasn't alone in this kidnapping." Luke managed, now having walked into the installation and staring intently at one of the walls.

"Shut up!" Michael stood still in his spot, back still turned to Ike.

Now that they were out in public they both were keenly aware that Michael really needed to maintain his composure, both stressing to Scotty and extremely amusing to Ike.

"Stop being such a fucking dag."

Michael actually turned around this time. "I'm the fucking dag? You're the one all  _inside_ the damn art piece for crying out loud. If anyone here is going to turn out to be a fucking dag it's you."

"Someone's having a bit of a blue now ain't he?"

Luke couldn't help but smirk now at the new voice in the conversation, but Michael was still staring at him wide-eyed. It wasn't until the voice cleared their throat that Scotty whipped his head around and his face washed of everything.

"Cal! You made it." Michael seemed to visibly calm before turning to Ashton, standing next to the other. Taking Ash's hand and putting his own in, he shook it. "Ash, always great to be around you again!"

"Cheers. Same on ya." Ashton just nodded, managing polite public smiles.

Luke had left the installation, rejoining the group now. "I know Calum! I'm just here taking in my surroundings and he just goes burko!"

"Oh that's a load of shit. You know he loves causing shit and I wasn't having it."

Ashton was intrigued by the new unknown voice that had entered the conversation. Raising his eyebrows, he cleared his throat alerting the others to attention.

Michael picked up immediately. "Oh! Erm, Ashton, my friend Luke came out with us tonight too. Luke this Ashton, Ashton this is Luke."

"Cheers." Ashton nodded, extending his hand for a shake.

Having finished the verbal introductions, Michael jabbed Luke in the side to outstretch his hand.

Side eyeing the others, Luke did outstretch his hand, shaking with Ashton. "Pleasure. What's up with the sunnies at night mate?"

Ashton stopped dead. He could hear Michael smack his hand to his face, and Calum sigh before starting in on Michael, yelling at him under his breath. 

" _Neither_ one of you told him?  _Really_? How thick are you both?"

Luke was beyond lost now. "Did I say something wrong?"

It was Ashton's turn to sigh then. He turned his head back to face the direction Luke's hand had come from. Shaking his head slightly, he took another deep breath before continuing on. "I'm blind."

"Are you shitting me?" Luke started looking between the three of them now, that clearly being the wrong thing to respond with.

"No shit mate. I'm blind. Always have been, always will be."

"And they brought you to a fucking festival?"

Ashton actually found a real smile appear on his face. "Right. Fucking right."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sydney people again! this is where me being a stupid american starts to get me into trouble! PLEASE correct my 'lingo' more accurate responses if i'm super off! 
> 
> and that's all she wrote folks.   
> literally.  
> that's all i've got for the time being but i do plan to keep working on this!
> 
> till we meet again!  
> cheers x

**Author's Note:**

> i'm always on tumblr @ bonfireintrovert ! let's have a chat! x


End file.
